Poor little Amber the Irish Setter was involved in a nasty road accident last month after she accidentally ran out in front of a car and was hit and dragged down the road by it. Amazingly, Amber survived her ordeal and was rushed down to PetCare as an emergency…

Unsurprisingly, Amber was very stressed on arrival at the surgery and was admitted for treatment. She had a wound on her back leg from where she had been dragged, but apart from that there were no other obvious injuries. She was put on an intravenous drip to prevent her going into shock and given some pain relief, which would also help to calm her down.

Once she was more stable, the vet decided to take some x-rays to ensure she hadn’t sustained any internal injuries or fractures. A common injury after a RTA is a condition called a diaphragmatic rupture, where the muscles of the diaphragm tear and this often allows organs to be displaced. This is not always easy to see on x-rays, but Amber didn’t appear to have internal injuries. There was also no sign of any fractures. The wound on her leg would need stitching, but it was decided that after everything she had been through that it was best to wait until the next day to give her a general anaesthetic.

Amber was kept in overnight for observation and was fed little and often throughout the rest of the day. She seemed bright and bouncy the following morning so was prepped for surgery and given an anaesthetic to repair her skin wound. Thankfully this didn’t take too long and she was back in recovery in no time. It was decided she could continue her healing at home and was discharged that evening. Her relieved owners were pleased to see her doing so well after what she’d been through!

Amber came back to have her stitches removed just over a week later and has since returned to the surgery to be speyed. She has been extremely lucky to come through such a trauma without any lasting damage and we wish her and her owners good health and the best of luck for the future!